First Middle East Film and Comic Con Postponed

Organizers of the Abu Dhabi-based Middle East Film and Comic Con announced yesterday that the convention—scheduled to be held later this month—would be delayed “with respect for the ongoing circumstances in some parts of the region.”

Arafaat Ali Khan, one of the main forces behind the Comic Con, said that the event would be postponed until the last quarter of 2011.

Khan wrote in a message:

The event was created with regional fans and budding talent first and foremost in mind and even though our part of the Middle East is unlikely to witness any turbulence, we want to make sure that everyone from around the region has the opportunity to attend and participate in the show. It just doesn’t feel right to launch such a far reaching, Middle East-wide event when our friends and neighbours are being faced with more serious priorities.

Many event-goers seemed supportive of the decision, although others wrote on the event’s Facebook page that they thought a delay was due to poor management rather than regional uprisings.

Organizers said the decision was not taken lightly, and that “MEFCC will be held after the summer and on dates that do not clash with regional and international events!”